Chapter 53 Oil breaks the enemy

Koga's "Operation Z" was recognized by Caolu.The islands on the "Koga's Deadline" are not as flat as Gilbert and Marshall. They are all located in the volcanic system, and most of the coast stands above the sea, suitable for defense against landing troops.Among them, Guam, Saipan, Tinian and other islands connected to each other can also build airports, which will become the best place to exert comprehensive combat power by sea, land and air when necessary. On the way from Rabaul to Tokyo, Grass Deer had transited in Saipan and Iwo Jima. He discovered the problem of these islands being regarded as the "death line" islands, that is, there is almost no defensive equipment that can be called defense.According to Caolu, the defense of Saipan is extremely weak, and the fortifications on Iwo Jima are good, but they lack machine guns and artillery.

Coincidentally, when Kakuda was ordered to deploy defenses in the Marianas and the Caroline Islands, he saw that most of the local airfields had not yet been built, and even the airports that could be used were poorly equipped and could not be used for long-term base air warfare .For example, Tinian Island has an airport and a hangar, but it has no taxi runway and no formal bunkers, so it is difficult to disperse and conceal aircraft. Kakuda yelled: "Look, this ghost air base unit knows Solomon's combat lessons, but what has it done in the past year?" Caolu insisted on finding out the army officer who caused the negligence in defense and punishing him.Tojo was annoyed by this, and he wrote to Caolu, saying, "I personally dare to guarantee the defense of Saipan with the 'Great Seal'!"

The army officer who sent the letter to Tojo was an army officer. He patted his chest and assured Caolu that the army hoped that the US army would land on Saipan so that they could be wiped out. In all fairness, Caolu and Kadota really can’t blame the army. It’s not that the army doesn’t pay attention to defense. The key is that since the outbreak of the Pacific War, the Japanese army’s front line has been spread too wide and too fast. The Mariana Islands soon became the third line behind. There was no time to take care of it, and even the anti-aircraft guns installed on the island were dismantled and transported to Rabaul.

Islands with high strategic value cannot be used if they lack defensive facilities, but if you don’t use them, the US military will use them.Thinking of the threat of B-29, Caolu would rather these islands sink into the sea and disappear. Of course, the island will not disappear automatically, so the only way is to quickly remedy it.Caolu is very clear that if the U.S. military wants to continue its offensive, whether the direct target is Mariana or New Guinea, it cannot avoid this "death line". Compared with strengthening the defense on the "death line", the lack of oil is more of a headache for grass deer.

Speaking of which, lack of oil has always been a big problem in Japan.To a certain extent, Japan directed its spearhead southward and did not hesitate to launch the Pacific War just for oil.Afterwards, Yamamoto was eager to make a quick decision, which was also related to oil.The battleships of the United Fleet seldom go to battle, and the aviation and surface fleet units are far away, instead of going to the inland of Japan, which is most suitable for training and maintenance, to conduct training, but to Singapore. , most of the fuel cannot be transported to the interior of Japan. There is an idiom in Japan called oil cutting off the enemy. Its original meaning is that it must not be ignored, but one of the Japanese navy's big enemies is indeed oil cutting off.

Today, Caolu still cannot do without the factor of oil when formulating its battle plan.The supply staff gave Cao Lu a bunch of detailed figures to let Cao Lu understand that it is best to choose the south of the "death line" for the first decisive battle, otherwise the combined fleet will not be able to fight at all due to insufficient oil tankers. As a result, Caolu formulated the "Adaihao" combat plan, and then sent it to Toyota, which is still in Yokosuka, by a special person. On May 3, 1944, Headquarters approved and issued the plan to Combined Fleet. The "Adai" plan basically did not deviate from Koga's decisive battle plan, and the consideration of the decisive battle location was also similar to that of Koga and Takasu. The western sea is the second decisive sea area.Its essence, it should be said, is more focused on the details, and even how to deal with the loss of the fighter plane has been planned in advance. Its level of meticulousness is considered to be far beyond the Battle of Midway.

According to the "Adai" plan, all the troops of the Japanese Navy are dispatched to the front line in order to achieve the goal of winning in the "last battle".Among the troops participating in the war, there are two most important forces, both of which were built by Koga during his lifetime. One is the Kadota Force, which relies on islands to carry out land-based aviation operations. It is now organized as the First Air Fleet, and the other is the First Mobile Force. . At this time, the system of the world navy has undergone fundamental changes, and the status of battleships has been completely replaced by aircraft carriers.That is to say, the main forces in the decisive battle at sea are aircraft carriers and carrier-based aircraft, not battleships and cannons.

The first mobile unit is the aircraft carrier unit formed by Koga following the example of the US 58th Task Force. It is characterized by the aircraft carrier as the absolute core and the carrier-based aircraft as the main attack weapon.This is a naval warfare method that has been used proficiently by the Americans, but the Japanese had to accept it after paying a huge price in manpower and material resources. The formation of the First Mobile Force was almost entirely copied from the 58th Task Force of the U.S. Army. It was divided into three aircraft carrier units, each with three aircraft carriers.Among the nine aircraft carriers are the "Taiho", which is known as the largest and strongest heavy aircraft carrier in Japan's history, and the light aircraft carriers "Chiyoda" and "Chitose", which were converted from seaplane carriers.

Among the generals of the Japanese army, Lieutenant General Jisaburo Ozawa is known for his wisdom and bravery. He was appointed as the commander of the First Mobile Force, so this fleet is also called the Ozawa Force.